Tuesday 31 December 2013

2013 The Way It Is

Ok, so right off the bat I'm gonna tell you that I didn't hit my target of 52 tests for the year. The whole stupid idea started when, back at the end of March, I got a Self Destruct test press and casually wrote at the end of the post 'This marks my 16th test press of 2013 so far, which averages more than one a week. I wonder if I'll keep it going and make 52 for the year?'. Well that was it. After that i kept count and kinda hoped I would make it, but unfortunately, I didn't. I ended the year with a count of 50. Sorry to disappoint you. But as a consolation, the 50th is a pretty big deal...

'Revelation Records Presents: New York City Hardcore The Way It Is'. One of the most important records of my life and in my collection. Earlier this year I picked up a green vinyl second press test, and right at the end of the year I have also added a first press test press (out of 8) to my collection.

Just like the green vinyl test press, this one also arrived in a sleeve, which is nice. And interestingly, the spine of the sleeve is blue rather than the usual green. Here's a photo that shows the blue spine next to several other green spine sleeves:

And given I'd pulled the other copies out of their respective hiding places to take the photo of the spines, I figured I may as well take them all out of their sleeves to take a family photo:

The downside to taking this photo is that it made me realise that I don't own a first press copy, and neither do I own a black vinyl copy with white labels... although, looking at it positively, at least it gives me an excuse to buy more copies of this record.

So finally, after I'd got all of the records out, I then decided to take my framed poster off the wall and put it with the records for yet another photo. I mean, why not? There's not much else to do this time of year.

So that's the end of the great 2013 test press chase. I honestly thought I was going to make it, but fate conspired against me. I had one 7" test that I was promised way back in March but which the dude still hasn't got around to sending. And in mid December I won a Seaweed LP test press on eBay UK that, when it arrived, turned out to be not a test press at all but just a regular LP. Still, picking up 50 (including two different 'NYCHCTWII') tests made for a pretty good year, and I'm definitely not unhappy. Thanks for reading!

1 comment:

Mike said...

Great post, and a great conclusion to the Test Press Chase of 2013. I thought that I'd bought a lot of tests this year, and when I was putting together my End Of The Year post, I decided to count 'em up. Compared to you, my eight tests looks like small potatoes. Nicely done.